The 2010 RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) reports that houses that are marketed without staging, removed from the market and then reintroduced with staging spend a significantly lower amount of time on the market. However, the study makes no mention of whether the houses were put back on the market at the same price or a lower price. I would think that most houses that get reintroduced to the market have a lower price than earlier listed. Could that be a factor in the shorter market times?

Honestly, I believe under the right market conditions, staging is a major benefit to selling a home quickly. People are visual and seeing a cluttered house detracts from visualizing their new home. Maybe it even reminds them of their old, cluttered home - the one they no longer want to live in. And as for empty homes, they're lonely and uninviting.

However, when the bubble is getting hot there is more demand than supply. Staging isn't as important during this period since buyers are in a feeding frenzy. However, staging still helps drive those multiple offers and the price. When the market is down, you just want to get feet on the floor.

Last comment and I'll shut up finally! But this is the most important piece to all this. If you are selling in 2010, you are marketing on the Internet where 90% of buyers do their research. That means they are looking at pictures and videos of all the houses that meet their requirements. If a house looks shoddy, they simply click to the next one!

Of course, I have a vested interest in those pictures and videos looking good...that's my business. But I also have a vested interest in helping my clients - agents and sellers - to move their homes quickly. To accomplish that, I prefer a staged home.

I have shown virtually staged homes and the buyers felt duped when we arrived and the home looked nothing like the staged photos. While staging makes the home look better it makes for awkward pre close walk throughs once everything has been reomved. I guess it depends on the area and market.

In my experience, if the house was on the market before I staged it, the price was adjusted before relisting. But, I am relatively new to staging, and all of those houses were listed during the declining market - when house selling prices were dropping and asking prices were following them down. Each of my clients told me they felt without staging they would have had to sell at an even lower price. Most of these clients are successful investors who know what they are talking about. And they believe what they said: they called me in again to stage the next house. I am trying to come up with a catch phrase that says, basically staging decreases DOM and protects value.

In my opinion, Lenn, the "value" is perceived and that is a good thing. Adding perceived value is going to influence buyers. Making it look better, makes it look more valuable. The house is only worth what buyers think it is worth.

I just staged a home that has been on the market since January. The realtor finally convinced the homeowner to bring in a stager (me!). The homeowner wants to drop the price, even though it was just staged, and the agent is trying to convince him to keep the price as is, to see if staging will make a difference.

Wow, I found Randy's comment really interesting. "awkward pre-close walkthroughs after the staging has been removed". That sounds like interesting material for another bog!

Staging invokes an emotion and buyers buy with emotion. If it is a nicely staged house that shows buyers the flow of the floor plan, then they will buy that house over another that doesn't show well. When pricing and staging work hand in hand... the home will sell quickly, with few if any, reductions.

I staged a vacant condo that had been on the market for over a year. When I asked the Realtor what the comments had been prior to Staging, she said there hadn't even been any showings at all. After Staging, the condo immediately had at least 2 showings, with positive feedback.

Did the Staging add value? I guess it depends who you're asking. But, without the staging, which provided better MLS photos, there would be no showings at all. If the showings result in a sale, then yes, it added value. Is it the be all, end all of some selling equation? No. Location, condition, location,market conditions, price, appearance, perceived value. These count.

Hmmm . . . interesting post and conversation. I'm not sure I fully agree with everything the author asserts, but like most of the comments say, buyers see more value in a properly staged property because the furnishings and decor can elevate the entire home. For example, sometimes small updates get missed when there are still dated elements. When you add more contemporary accents, suddenly the other updates stand out more, too. (Among other things!)

Staging still pays off in a hot market, too. Those house go even faster for a fair amount above list price.

I have had at least one appraiser say that staging "tipped the scale". Although I understand that appraisers have to have comps with the same sq ft, like neighborhood, house, etc.I absolutely believe that a well staged home can be comped up. And there is value in that. But even though staging helps to sell the house by presenting it to appeal to the most amounts of Buyers, it also has to be priced right, particularly in this RE market.

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